When was the first known use of a striker-fired system in a semi-automatic pistol, and which pistol achieved this milestone?

When was the first known use of a striker-fired system in a semi-automatic pistol, and which pistol achieved this milestone?

• A. 1970, Heckler & Koch VP70
• B. 1907, Roth-Steyr M1907
• C. 1893, Borchardt C-93
• D. 1982, Glock 17

Answer: (C)

Striker-fired means the firing pin itself is spring-loaded and released by the trigger, with no external hammer involved. This design places the firing pin (the striker) inside the slide, cocked by the action and released when you pull the trigger. The Borchardt C-93, introduced in 1893, is the earliest known semi-automatic pistol to use this kind of arrangement. Its mechanism involves a spring-loaded striker that is cocked during cycling and then unleashed to ignite the primer as the trigger is pressed, making it the first documented striker-fired design. The other options are later or rely on different systems. Glock’s famous modern striker-fired design appeared much later (1982), and the Roth-Steyr M1907 and the VP70 use mechanisms that aren’t classified as the early striker-fired arrangement in the same sense.

Striker-fired means the firing pin itself is spring-loaded and released by the trigger, with no external hammer involved. This design places the firing pin (the striker) inside the slide, cocked by the action and released when you pull the trigger.

The Borchardt C-93, introduced in 1893, is the earliest known semi-automatic pistol to use this kind of arrangement. Its mechanism involves a spring-loaded striker that is cocked during cycling and then unleashed to ignite the primer as the trigger is pressed, making it the first documented striker-fired design.

The other options are later or rely on different systems. Glock’s famous modern striker-fired design appeared much later (1982), and the Roth-Steyr M1907 and the VP70 use mechanisms that aren’t classified as the early striker-fired arrangement in the same sense.